eveninarcadiafandomcom-20200213-history
Emergence
The greatest magic achievement of the Fae, Emergence is the neurological restructuring of an Apprentice's brain on the template of their Master. The Fae have used this process for centuries to create a small class of people who are essentially immortal. Called the Emerged, these Fae are the history keepers and governors of Niyam. History Fae history tells that Emperor KangXi was the first Fae to discover Emergence and used it to unite the continent of Niyam under his rule. He taught the magic, under great secrecy, to nine other Fae who would comprise his first Council of Cardinals. The first Emerged was KangXi's son, Emperor KangWu, who took over as monarch after his father passed away. Through out the centuries the number of Emerged has fluctuated, the lowest being five and the highest being over thirty. The Emerged have suffered a number of purges with entire lineages deemed corrupted by other Emerged who forbid the line to continue and/or killed off the last descendant. Of the original nine lineages, only four remain, one of which is Emperor KangXi's through the monarchy. Currently there are 14 official Emerged. Terminology A Fae that has completed Emergence is called an Emerged and given the honorary title of Master. A person going through Emergence under a Master is called an Apprentice. The line of decent through Emergence is called a lineage. Those lineages that have suffered problems in transition or magical ability are often considered corrupted lineages. It is not uncommon to find new lineages being created without the knowledge or consent of the Cardinals through out history, which are often referred to as Heretic Lineages. Rarely, a heretic lineage can be made official by the Council. Process The process of Emergence is a closely guarded secret. Only one text on the theory and practice of Emergence, called "The Principles of the Mortal Mind", was published under KangXi's sixth generation. It was outlawed shortly after printing, but rumours of existing copies are abound with few ever leading to anything substantial. What is know about the process is very little. Emergence consists of three stages: Reconstruction, Remembering and Resurrection. The first stage consists of a remapping of the Apprentice's brain through magic, followed by a pilgrimage in stage two. Finally, in the third stage, the Master gives his self to the Apprentice and becomes child-like in mind and manner. What happens to the Master after Resurrection is unknown, as this step is almost always completed on the Island of Arcadia, an isolated island far from Niyam in the great ocean Kalypso. The new Emerged returns from Arcadia alone to take up governance and religious responsibilities in Niyam. Relationship to Fae Society Emergence is considered mysterious and mystical to most Fae. Due to the selective nature of the Council, many consider the Emerged to be the best of Fae society and revere their existence. Original birthplaces of the Emerged will erect shrines or places of meditation to appreciate the deeds of the great Fae that originated there. When an Apprentice travels to a town with their Master during Remembering, the town will go to great lengths to have a warm celebration to welcome them. Allegations of corruption in the Emerged are met with skepticism and sometimes panic, for periods of purging will bring about troubled times for the Fae. While no wars have been fought amongst the Fae since the beginning of Emergence, conflicts between the Emerged themselves can cause a breakdown of the mechanisms of Fae society, the worst of which happened during The Fire Purge. Famine and poverty marked The Fire Purge, leaving many Fae to migrate great distances to find safe harbour from the conflict between the Cardinals and newly exiled Emerged who mounted a resistance to being deemed corrupted. The conflict led to a lost generation of young Fae, often referred to as The Children of the Fire Purge. Relationship to the Environment The magic that can be performed by the Emerged is grand and far reaching. Most Mages and apprentice mages can manipulate basic elements, but the Emerged have command of the essence that creates the Universe. They can manipulate, create and destroy the world around them. At first this magic was used extensively to build The Golden Age of Fae society, but harm from this magic became apparent after decades of its use. The Environment, where this magic was used, began to break down creating areas where the laws of nature would shift. Gravity is commonly affected, and this created pockets where gravity broke down and caused huge destruction. When these shifts started to happen, the Council passed sweeping laws that closely monitored all use of magic by the Emerged. After The Great Cataclysm, a formal structure for education in magic was established and all training outside this was considered illegal and highly punishable. The Emerged often use the Pebble Test to judge their magical effect on the environment and will stop their magical endeavours should the test become positive. Category:Magic